Look Closely and Listen Harder
by akurosa
Summary: Brook can't help but flinch whenever he sees the green headed swordsman. Zoro decides enough is enough. Set after Brook joined the crew.


_Constructive criticism is welcome! _

Brook closes his eyes against the warm gust of wind that blows his hair back. He doesn't fear the darkness anymore. If the scent of sweet tangerine and bitter dirt is home, the steady breathing of his captain on Sunny's head is a promise: Brook's shadow and the fog are both back where they belong, one to him and the other behind him. It is a wonderful day, Brook hums when he finally opens his eyes to greet the sky-only to cringe in surprise at something familiar from the edge of his sight.

The flash of memory and the twitch in his hands are clamped down quickly enough. The irrational spike of fear is not. Zoro turns with the intuition of a warrior, a predator noticing weakness in the wind. When their gazes meet, Brook scratches his head with a sheepish grin in apology. Again. The ex-pirate hunter takes the tall frame of his new crew mate in, and then, as if coming to a decision, approaches. When Zoro drops to the floor to settle down, a startled Brook copies him though he folds his long knees under him like a student would do before his master. They would be a strange sight, settled in the middle of the deck and on the grass, but Brook's confusion clears when he sees what his friend holds out to him.

A sleek black sword is balanced carefully in Zoro's loose grip. The younger pirate is looking back expectantly.

Brook has once heard Sanji scoff at cooks skittish around fire, that no cook worth his salt could be afraid of a key ingredient of their dishes. Brook can understand the sentiment; a sword is, to a true swordsman, an extension of himself. A sword is not to be feared.

Yet the offered katana is no ordinary sword. It is Shusui, one of the 21 _O Wazamono_ grade swords, the sword famed for its hardness that could take the heaviest blows without its wielder flinching.

It is the sword Ryuuma bore and the blade Brook yielded to. The katana that almost-

Brook ignores the knot in his chest and accepts the offering. However effortless Zoro makes it look, the sword is much heavier than what Brook is used to but his hands are steady; a swordsman's blade is a swordsman's soul. It is to be treated with the same respect Brook has for his crew mate. With a glance to Zoro who nods in permission, Brook curls his one hand around the hilt and the other around the black sheathe. The blade sings against metal as it is pulled free.

This is the blade Ryuuma used, and the sight still sends a reflexive shiver down his spine. Yet looking at the black blade against the bright blue sky, Brook also cannot help but admit.

"...It is magnificent Zoro-san," Brook breathes as he turns the sword, truly appreciating the elegant weapon for the first time. The blade is sleek but steady, a heavy yet reassuring weight in his grip and truly worthy to be called a _meido._ "It's balance is perfect, and the edge is lethal in its beauty. I can feel every it answer to even my slightest movement with deadly precision. This katana Zoro-san, it is fit to be a legend, it's-"

"Mine," Zoro supplies calmly, and Brook starts because he hears the fond exasperation and gentle rebuke. Because at the simple reminder, his fear that had been twisted and tangled to be hidden in the empty space behind his sternum and left rib cage, catches in the same non-existent heart before breaking free.

And Brook, without taking a single breath, can finally _breathe_.

He stares at his crew mate in unabashed wonder for a long moment before looking back down at the katana in his hands. When he runs a finger along the side of the blade, the katana vibrates against his touch. The blade's humming is a perfect match to the steady beats he hears everyday from its wielder. Brook listens thinking, _of course._

A satisfied Zoro had accepted the sword back and claimed his usual place against the balustrade when Brook suddenly jumped to his feet and raised his violin. The ex-pirate hunter opens an eye in question to which Brook explains, "A song for a song Zoro-san, yohoho!" before letting his fingers fly.

Zoro grins in response and closes his eyes.

(He falls asleep to the sound of sake, safety and sunshine.)


End file.
